A Teaching Moment and Poor Customer Service: Tales from one family’s summer vacation

There comes a time when parents have teaching moments with their children. Those moments are so obvious, even the most naïve parent will know.

On a recent trip to Eastern Oregon—a frequent vacation destination—we stopped at our usual place; McDonald’s on the east end of the town of Bend. Quick, easy, and of course the giant play structure that the kids enjoy. (It’s the burning off the extra energy for that nine hour car ride that the parents enjoy too.)

Forgetting that the girls’ socks were packed away deep inside the back of the truck, mom decide to walk over to the nearby Old Navy store and buy the girls some new sock. Why the socks? The rules. McDonald’s Playland requires kids to wear sock. It’s the rules. Simple enough. Not hard to follow. We’ve been here before and know the rules. And why not spend a few bucks in the locally depressed economy and buy the girls some new socks?

And this is where this story begins.

It’s all about the socks

My two girls (Rachel and Julia) and I patiently waited for the new socks to arrive, while we ate our lunch. Just then, two other girls—maybe ages 7 and 10—walked in and began playing, while mom and grandma finished up placing their lunch order. Just as the other girls began climbing through the maze of tunnels, in walks the McDonald’s assistant to the assistant manager (a.k.a. the Sock Nazi). She blurts out to the two girls, “You can’t play in here without socks!” The girls comply and put their flip flops back on and wait for mom and grandma. As soon as mom walks in and drops the Happy Meals on the table, she tells her daughters to go play. The girls responded, “We can’t. We don’t have any socks.” The mom replies in all her wisdom, “I don’t care what the rules are. Go barefoot or put on your flip flops.” Obediently, the girls begin playing; this time with wearing their flip flops.

A nearby man sitting quietly, while his daughter plays (in socks), says to the defiant mom: “Wearing socks are the rules. It’s the law.” Mom defiantly responds, “I don’t care what the rules are and we don’t have to wear socks at the Redmond McDonald’s.”

My girls take notice of what’s happening. The youngest, five-year old Julia, says, “They are not following the rules.” I felt proud. She noticed. We continue with lunch.

I sat back, eating my Big Mac, and took in the show that was before me. As my wife, Linda, arrived—with a bag full of new socks—I briefed her on the ongoing drama.

Once again, in walks the sock Nazi, noticing that they girls were back playing, this time wearing flip flops (a violation of the rules). As she aggressively approaches the girls’ mom, she emphatically states, “The girls CANNOT play in here barefoot or wearing shoes. It’s against the rules.” The mom seizes the opportunity to get into a verbal jousting match with the McDonald’s employee suggest that somehow the man tattled on her girls and that she wasn’t about to follow these ridiculous rules. The mom soon realizes that she’s not going to win this battle and proceeds to pack up lunch leave with her girls and grandma.

She must be so proud. Who needs to follow the rules? I’m sure as they drove away she told the girls how ridiculous it was that they had to wear socks. Fast forward and look into a crystal ball when these girls are 14 and 17. Any guesses about how these girls may or not be following the rules? The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, as they say.

Customer service

While the defiant mom clearly missed a teaching opportunity, the McDonald’s manager also missed a teaching opportunity with her employees and probably displayed the most atrocious customer service I’ve seen in quite some time. Was the McDonald’s manager right? Absolutely. Her delivery could have been a little more tactful, however.

Why weren’t cashiers notifying customers that socks were available (for only one dollar) for kids heading in to play? It was, after all, summer and most kids wear flip flops, Crocs or Keens this time of year.

Message to the manager: focus on your employees. Sell some socks. Customer service is as much about delivery as it is about the message.

Message to the mom: use these moments as teaching opportunities. Following a few simple rules may pay dividends when your daughters are teenagers.

Message to self: don’t forget the socks.